By John Corrado

★★★ (out of 4)

The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7th to 17th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

The latest from Richard Linklater, Hit Man finds the Texas filmmaker re-teaming with his Everybody Wants Some!! star Glen Powell to make their own variation on a romantic action comedy. And it’s a lot of fun, a mix of darkly comedic thriller and kinda twisted rom-com that finds filmmaker and star on the same wavelength.

Powell, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater, stars in the role of Gary Johnson, a college philosophy professor who moonlights as an informer for the New Orleans police department. When Gary is promoted to posing as a hit man to take down criminals ordering hits, he embraces it as an acting exercise, and begins to craft elaborate disguises and take on different personas depending on the client. This is how he meets Madison (Adria Arjona), a desperate prospective client looking to dispose of her controlling husband, who starts to fall for Gary’s suave alter-ego Ron.

Powell oozes charisma in the role. Some of the best scenes are when Gary is deep in character, either as cool guy Ron or adopting other more elaborate disguises, with the film serving as an incredible acting showcase for him. The actor also shares sizzling chemistry with Arjona that defines the film’s (horny) midsection, which has a role-playing feel to it. The sometimes heady dialogue crackles with that Linklater spark, as Gary’s philosophy lessons on persona and identity bleed over into the story.

After so much buildup, Hit Man doesn’t quite stick the landing, with an ending that both feels like somewhat of a betrayal of past principles, and ends up settling in the direction of a more conventional romantic action comedy. But Hit Man still finds Linklater and Powell playfully clicking together enough of the time to make it a sexy, entertaining good time.

Public Screenings: Monday, September 11th, 5:30 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre; Tuesday, September 12th, 2:00 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre; Saturday, September 16th, 8:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre